MLB News

Oct. 5 Matt Cain workout day interview

Q. What did you learn pitching in the playoffs two years ago that you can apply or is that not even factoring in these days?

MATT CAIN: I think the thing that I can take from 2010 is the excitement of playing in the postseason and trying to kind of rekindle that and think about what I was thinking about a start and going through the process. But it's something that you can use to your advantage because the postseason is something that's so much fun and you work so hard to get here all year, and I think you gotta really enjoy just the process of being in this position and really take advantage of it.

Q. What did you learn pitching in the playoffs two years ago that you can apply or is that not even factoring in these days?

MATT CAIN: I think the thing that I can take from 2010 is the excitement of playing in the postseason and trying to kind of rekindle that and think about what I was thinking about a start and going through the process. But it's something that you can use to your advantage because the postseason is something that's so much fun and you work so hard to get here all year, and I think you gotta really enjoy just the process of being in this position and really take advantage of it.

Q. You and Tim, in particular, were sharp in the postseason. Do you feel like that for yourself in particular going into the postseason and as a staff do you feel like you have that same momentum going into the postseason?

MATT CAIN: As a staff, I think that's what we have to concentrate on going into the series and thinking about going out there and getting things started for the guys, you know. I think we can really help by going out there and having some good outings and keeping us, you know, in the right state of mind and keeping the guys in the dugout where they need to be.

Q. Matt, could you talk about the different feeling with this team? In 2010 you clinched it on the last day and it was a rush into the division series. How does it feel different this time?

MATT CAIN: This is different because in 2010 it was up to the last day and it was like, we're in the playoffs. And now we have had a week and a half to prepare for what we were going to play, we were trying to figure out, Cincinnati or Washington, but it was time to come into it.

I think it was good for us as well because we had the guys able to get rest in and able to prepare and think about what we needed to do against the team that we were going to play.

Q. Matt, tremendously small sample sizes against the Reds this year, probably shouldn't read too much into that, but when you look at their lineup and how aggressive they are, how do you counter that?

MATT CAIN: My goal, with a team that's patient is to make good quality strikes. I'm trying to go out there and throw good pitches and use their over-aggressiveness to my advantage. Then if guys are patient I just want to get ahead of them and make them more aggressive. It's one of those things that you're going to -- you can think about it all you want to before the game, but it could change once you go out there.

My plan is to go out there and throw good strikes and get these guys back in the dugout.

Q. Matt, how different is this team from the 2010 team in terms of personality and on the field?

MATT CAIN: It's definitely different. This group has been together from the beginning and we have all had the thought of this is where we wanted to be in spring training, and now we are here together and we've added some great guys to the clubhouse.

They've done nothing but fit in perfectly, and everybody is just, you know, excited about the postseason and we're excited about getting this thing going.

Q. Matt, can you talk about how the perfect game changed your season and perhaps changed you as a pitcher, particularly because you went through rougher times after that? How did that game change your season?

MATT CAIN: It didn't really change too much of my season, really. You know, it changed some stuff with media and talking a whole lot more to you guys but other than that I went about my business the same as I always did.

Q. Matt, you personally, do you have maybe fewer butterflies this time because you've been there before, more butterflies because you're getting the ball in game 1?

MATT CAIN: Might be a little bit of a mix. It's an honor and something I'm excited about, throwing game 1, but it's something that I'm also trying to stay even keel with, thinking about, hey I need to go out there and make another start and, you know, do well. I think we will be in a good position after that.

Q. Matt, what stands out about working with Buster behind the plate? What's distinctive about your association with him?

MATT CAIN: He's just done -- from what he did in 2010 to what he's doing now, I think he's really trying to lead us and find ways that we're trying to pitch to guys. Not really saying that me and Timmy or Vogey are all going to throw the exact same way to guys, he knows that we're all trying to pitch different and he's trying to pick our brains before starts maybe about what we're thinking about going to guys and he's done a good job of taking that role and he's just kinda jumped right into it.

He didn't really even say anything to us about it he started doing it and it kind of just started being a routine and something that, I'm all right, I haven't talked to Buster yet and he'll be saying, what are we thinking about going at certain guys? He's done a real good job with that.

Q. Matt, with you guys starting off at home even though you don't have home field advantage, Brian Sabean was talking about how that's going to be an advantage for you guys to start off game 1 at home. Do you think that's an advantage?

MATT CAIN: Yeah, it is, when you get to the playoffs, being at home is definitely a huge advantage and to be able to start out at home should suit us well and I think we will be excited about playing in front of the home crowd and hear these guys gettin' rowdy.

Q. Matt, it's been 10 years since the Giants came so close with Dusty Baker managing them to winning it all. Do you think that is still fresh in people's minds, it is ten years later, but you guys have won a World Series since then.

MATT CAIN: I remember thinking about if I was going to play for Dusty if I made it up here in time, but for me, no, I don't think it is, because most of the guys in the clubhouse weren't really around when he was managing here.

Q. Matt, it's been said over the years that pitchers can't be the leaders in the clubhouse yet you seem to break that mold. Can you talk about your role, your responsibilities, the way you feel being a leader on this team?

MATT CAIN: It does make sense it's hard for pitchers to be leaders in the clubhouse because we're not going out there every day pitching.

We like to try to take care of each other with the other starters and the other relievers, and we try to do that and that relays to other guys in the lineup. I think the thing is we have a good group of guys in the clubhouse so they're not afraid to ask the position players or the starters or the pitchers, hey, what are you guys thinking? What am I doing out there?

I've talked to Theriot and what I'm seeing about those guys hitting and inning that's a good thing for all of us to have, is nobody is worried about hurting their ego, they just wanted to find a way to get better and win.

Q. Matt, so much of the narrative in your earlier career was about the run support stuff. So much of that has changed this season. What is it like now to pitch with an offense or around an offense that scores runs and being a guy that breaks down hitters for a living. Why do you think this offense is working so well?

MATT CAIN: I think they just don't ever feel like their backs are against the wall even when we're down runs. They feel like they can come back do things and I think that's the versatility in the lineup. They have guys that can run, hit, they have power, and these guys aren't afraid to work in counts and they find ways to get things done and they feed off each other and I think that shows what kind of a relationship they have with each other, kind of in the lineup. They have faith in each other as well.

Q. Matt, I don't know if you've looked back on the last couple of times you faced off against the Reds. Have you been able to find thinking they were able to exploit or what you might do effectively?

MATT CAIN: Sometimes you might over think things, if you go back most of the times when you give up runs it's mostly poor execution of location so you really try to mainly focus on that and make better pitches.

Q. Going back to what you said about feeling that their backs are against the wall and they can come back and win, how much was the Pagan homer at Cincinnati in your minds that question of knowing if you're down against a good team with a good bullpen you can come back and win?

MATT CAIN: Yeah, you're going to have to have those wins throughout the season, and for him to hit that off Marshall, he had been throwing the ball real well so for him to do that and picked us up and took us into a home stand because we were coming off a good road trip.

We've got to use those things to our advantage because a lot of times when you get into the back end of a bullpen it's not so easy to score. When you're able to come back on those guys it's always going to build momentum, even for us down the road we feel like even at the end of games later on in the season I still feel like we had that urge that we could win.

Q. Matt, Bochy hasn't announced starters for games 3 and 4, have you been told you might come back in Game 3 or 4? Are you able to do that?

MATT CAIN: I'm physically fine, I wouldn't have a problem with it but it's something we will let them figure out and we haven't chatted about any of that.